Due to high demand, COVID-19 test results to Juneau have been delayed

People who’ve recently tested for COVID-19 in Juneau at the City and Borough of Juneau’s drive-thru testing facility or Juneau International Airport may be experiencing delays in getting results back. Due to high demand, the turnaround time for test results in Alaska and at some commercial labs is currently taking longer than usual. Depending on available resources, some test results are taking up to five days or longer. The State of Alaska says it is addressing this issue and working toward faster turnaround times.

CBJ also continues to explore options to process tests on a large scale locally, instead of sending them to a state lab or out of state. Having the ability to analyze test samples in Juneau would greatly reduce turnaround time. Results could be obtained within the same day instead of multiple days, helping to contribute to the public health and economy of the community. With local capabilities, Juneau could also process COVID-19 test samples from other communities in Southeast. The Juneau Assembly wrote a letter to Governor Mike Dunleavy in May asking his administration to partner with CBJ toward this goal.

For more local news, information, and resources to help keep Juneau healthy, go to juneau.org/covid-19 and Bartlett Hospital’s COVID-19 page.